The internet is the main source of news and information for growing numbers of people. Mainstream media news organizations, niche news outlets, and alternative viewpoint news sources all maintain news content on websites. In addition to news, the internet has fostered the growth and popularity of “web logs” or “blogs” run by “bloggers” as sources of news and information.
One problem with the internet as a source of news and information is that it is difficult for news organizations or bloggers to generate revenue. Popular sites can attract paying advertisers, but in the current internet environment the sheer number of websites offering news and information makes the pool of advertising dollars insufficient to bring in satisfying revenue for many. Additionally, some websites or blogs have very loyal, but very limited readership, so that the size of the reading audience makes the website unattractive to advertisers.
There is a continuing unmet need for a method for internet content providers, such as organizations with websites, individuals or groups with blogs, and syndicated news organizations to generate revenue, or additional revenue, for the content provided to the public.
Many websites provide news and information content with a provision for the reader to leave comments. For example, a news story can include a place, usually at the end of the article, for the user to post his or her comments. Sometimes the user must first register, but other times the user simply leaves a comment pursuant to the instructions given. Likewise, many blogs provide the opportunity for readers to comment. Again, the person commenting may have to first register, but not always. Sometimes comments are moderated, which means they can be first checked for content before posting publicly on the website.
Popular or controversial news stories or blog entries can generate many hundreds of comments. Comments are usually posted in chronological order, and can be ranked or emailed by readers. Sometimes comments are posted in non-chronological order, such as by “most popular” or “most emailed”. Sometimes the comment section is set up to allow comments on comments, with those readers submitting comments, i.e., commenters, often generating a line of thought that can be independent of the original story.
A reader of a news story or blog often checks the comments, but may not read down more than a few comments, and may read only the first and last comments. Many comments go unread for lack of visibility, that is, they are in essence “buried” in the multitude of other comments. Many readers and commenters (i.e., readers who leave comments) alike can find the lack of attention to particular comments to be frustrating. For example, a reader who wishes to leave what the reader perceives to be a particularly salient comment may be frustrated by the knowledge that her comment might be in the middle of hundreds of others, thereby making it highly unlikely to be read by anyone.
There is a continuing unmet need for a way to permit commenters on news stories or blog entries to get their comments noticed.